Kevin Kenner
In 1990, American pianist Kevin Kenner won the top prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw (along with the People’s Prize and the Polonaise Prize.) Earlier that year he won the bronze medal at the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, together with a special prize for his interpretation of Russian music. Other awards include the International Terence Judd Award (London, 1990), the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (Fort Worth, 1989) and the Gina Bachauer International Competition (Salt Lake City, 1988).
Kevin Kenner has since performed as soloist with world-class orchestras including such as the BBC Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic and the NHK Symphony of Japan and has worked with many renowned conductors including the late Sir Charles Groves, Andrew Davis, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Jiri Belohlavek and Kazimierz Kord.
His achievements have won him critical acclaim from all over the world. He has been praised as “one of the finest American pianists to come along in years” (Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune), ”...fulfilling a criterion which one only knows from great Chopinists such as Rubinstein, Benedetti-Michelangeli and Dinu Lipatti” (Winfried Wild, Schwaebische Zeitung, Germany). Adrian Jack of London’s Independent describes one of Kenner’s recitals as ”...the best performance I have ever heard in the concert hall of all four of Chopin’s Ballades”. The Financial Times in London described Kenner as a “player of grace, subtle variety and strength, with a mature grasp of dramatic structure and proportion�” And according to Evelyn Vogel of Munich’s Suddeutsche Zeitung “in his performance of Chopin’s Four Scherzos he delivered a complete masterpiece.” In 2001 the Washington Post writes, “Kevin Kenner is a major talent. His recital revealed an artist whose intellect, imagination and pianism speak powerfully and eloquently.”
Mr. Kenner is professor at the Royal College of Music in London.
The artist will perform the following program (subject to change):
- R. Schumann – Arabesque, Op.18
- R. Schumann – Fantasie, Op.17
Intermission
- F. Chopin – 4 Ballades
Vladimir Ovchinnikov
Akiko Ebi
Antti Siirala
Nelson Freire